Homemade Dog Costume Ideas

I didn't have to buy anything to make the two costumes below. The cloth came from the legs off an old pair of brown corduroy pants (I used the inside part because the outside had stains on it.) The cream colored ribbon was rescued at a wedding it was dumped in the trash. The fabric glue and red ribbon were bought years ago...

Homemade dog costume: Red Sox logos

I found free pictures on the web, resized them, and then pasted them onto a cloth background with the fabric glue (Liquid Stitch in this case).

Boston Bruins mascot and logo make an eyecatching dog costume.

Then I glued on the ribbons to serve as decoration and to make ties for around the dog's torso. You will likely also want to add ribbon lengths to the top of the cloth pieces to create ties for around the dog's neck.

Homemade dog ballerina costume

For more homemade dog costume ideas scroll down to see our sections on Small and Medium outfits.

Small Dog Costume Ideas

Medium Dog Costume Ideas

More Small/Medium Homemade Dog Costume Ideas

Angel: Anonymous contributor -My 14 year old dachshund dressed up as an angel last Halloween. She was soo cute. Sorry I do not have a picture.To make this homemade dog costume, get white fabric, gold pipe cleaners (2), wire, and a sewing machine.Sew a coat out of the white fabric.Next, with the wire make the outline of a wing; then put white fabric on top.To make the halo, get the pipe cleaners and make a circle, fasten it on by attaching another pipe cleaner to the halo, and then attach that to the costume.

Ballerina (M): Leah from Perkin, IL, contributed a totally different idea for a ballerina dog costume - I bought cheap, disposable luffas from Walmart. I took off the string and had some webbing. From there I took craft wire and weaved it through the holes! Now we have the tutu. I then took a silk camisole and sewed the tutu to the bottom. Paired with pink booties and a tiara this makes a simple, fun and cheap costume!

Build a Bear (E): This came from Edan R. in Toronto, Canada - I have a puppy named Buster. His breed is a mix of a Shih-Tzu and a Poodle. I got him the week of Halloween so i decided to dress him up in build-a-bear clothes! I put him in a bathrobe and bunny slippers! He looked so cute - and I got the idea of dressing him up at this website.

Christmas Present (E): Use a small child's T-shirt. Make sure the shirt fits your pet snugly but not too tight. Draw or color a box and glue or sew it to the shirt (while it's off the dog). Put it on your dog - there's your Christmas present!

Magic Fairy:Ashley from Kentucky says - All you need is an old sweater or sweatshirt (pink or purple is best for a fairy), wire [bendable], and mesh [fine fabric, plastic or wire]. Measure the back of your dog and from the neck to front leg. Remove one sleeve from the sweater/sweatshirt and cut to the length of the first measurement. Cut the arm holes in the widest part, adding an extra 2" for small dogs and 4" for larger dogs.[Test it on your dog to make sure the shirt you created fits.]Now take the wire and make two wing outlines. Cut the mesh to fit the outlines and fasten on by folding (if wire mesh) with glue, ties or by sewing. Add the wings to the back of the shirt - sew on.You can add sparkles and jewels onto the outfit.

Sun Dress (M): Breezy wrote us as follows - My
dog costume idea is a sun dress with short sleeves. The pattern should
be a beach with a dachshund on it and sunset in the back. I
think it should have a small adjustable strap under its belly to make
the dress bigger or smaller. For an accessory it should have a bandana
that helps keep it cool - any color.

Schoolgirl(M): Yal from Lakeland, Florida, sent in the photo at right to help us visualize how to make a dog costume out of a girl's school uniform!

Of course, you could extrapolate this idea to other types of uniforms that children of either sex may wear, whether it be for school, Boy or Girl Scouts/Guides, Campfire, etc...

Suggestions For Accessories To Outfits

If your dog prefers not to wear anything on his or her body, or you want to dress up an everyday outfit such as a dog coat, sweater, or dress to turn it into a homemade dog costume, consider some of the following:

Dog braids - this was suggested by Lynn of Belvidere, IL - Braid two matching sets of three strips of cloth together. Sew them to a band that fits over your dog's head. (You could use fleece, thick yarns, burlap, or other types of fiber - anything that is not too stiff when you plait or braid it.)

Dog tiara - Take a strip of curved plastic from a yogurt or margarine container that fits your dog's head comfortably. Staple thin elastic to the ends. Cut out a piece of cardboard from a cereal box to make a tiara design - bend the bottom to fit the plastic piece and tape or glue it on. Add fabric to cover and glitter. (Make sure the glitter is fully dry before putting it on your dog.)

Wings: Clare, who lives in the U.S., says: To make an awesome dog costume make wings out of felt with cardboard supports. This is really cute because it looks like the wings are flapping when your dog walks! [You'll have to figure out how to attach them. Also note that this may be frightening for some dogs so monitor closely.]